Two For One

Matthew 20: 29 - 34

Two for one

29 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” 31 Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” 32 So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” 34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

In the field of Marketing crafting a sale that speaks to a specific customer need, or triggers a strong psychological ‘buy’ response, can be successful at any time of the year. It can help set your small business apart from the competition and can help promote customer loyalty that drives repeat full price sales throughout the year for years to come.

Everyone likes to save money, and everyone likes to think they are getting a bargain. So, if you have established a baseline value for your products and services, you can use a discount – whether a sale price, a percentage off, or a set dollar amount off – to lead a customer to believe that they are scooping up a great deal. Of course, when you do that you are sacrificing profit margin. The very best sale is one in which your customer perceives value in a way that does not significantly affect your bottom line. Here are a few ways to make that happen:

. Going out of business sale

Nothing brings in the customers like a ‘Going out of business’ sale. This advertisement can draw in bargain hungry shoppers, who may just perceive regularly priced merchandise as deeply discounted. However, today this technique causes the public to feel betrayed. For example, furniture outlets have abused this sales approach as you see their signs continually.

. Two-fer (two for one) sales

The concept is simple yet brilliant – people hear or see the advertisement ‘two-fer’ and think ‘two for one’ thus believing that they are getting a buy-one-get-one- free offer. However, the offer is just selling two things for one price, which may or may not be discounted.

. Bundle sale

Like the ‘two-fer’ sale, a bundle sale enables you to package multiple products together for a single price, thereby creating the appearance of value. Typically, a bundle is sold for less than it would cost to purchase the individual parts. But, strategically formulated bundles can be used to move expensive less popular products at full price by packaging them with discounted versions of popular products. Bundles can also be used to sell complimentary services to customers who wouldn’t think to purchase them separately, such as packaging outside window cleaning with standard cleaning service.

Our Holy Master and King Jesus Christ spoke about worldly shrewdness which the disciple Luke in chapter 1 of his Gospel, “He also said to His disciples: ‘There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said t him, ‘what is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ Then the steward said within himself, ‘what shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may deceive me into their houses. “so he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the firs,’ How much do you owe my master?’ And he said, ‘a hundred measures of oil.’ So, he said to him, take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation that the sons of light. A” And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in what is another man;s, who will give you what is your won? ‘No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”